This invention relates to needlepointing, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for supporting materials to be needlepointed.
Although needlepointing is becoming increasingly popular, one of the factors which has prevented needlepointing from becoming even more widespread is the difficulty in supporting the material to be needlepointed in a manner that permits the needlepointing to be performed quickly and comfortably. It is desirable that the material being needlepointed be maintained relatively flat, and if the material is simply held by the hand, the hand can become tired and cramped within a short time. Holders for the material are available, but these holders are generally not adaptable for use with material of varying size. Further, needlepointing fabric is usually relatively stiff and prior art holders are usually not capable of holding only a small portion of the fabric.
The invention permits the material to be held easily and comfortably, and any portion of a large piece of material can be held as desired. The material is held between two pairs of elongated support members, and the material can be wound about one of the support members of either or both pairs so that the desired areas of the material is between the two pairs of supports. Each pair of supports is releasably held together by elastic bands, and the ends of the supports can be temporarily separated by squeezing the metal portions together so that yarn can be inserted and retained between the ends.